Where The Sidewalk Ends
by SukiSushi123
Summary: Haruhiko X Todou future fic! "He's different, someone new, someone exciting, someone alluring. Someone who can actually like me for who I am and not what I can get done." Independent!Haruhiko and Officer!Todou become friends, will something more come out of their friendship? First pairing under the tag, why not give it a try?
1. Where The Sidewalk Ends

**Ch. 1 Where The Sidewalk Ends****  
**

**I guess I'm the first story under this pairing... woah. SO I got this idea from a post on tumblr and I was like 'woah, this could work.' Then I wrote an outline and posted it on tumblr and someone who is rp-ing Todou replied and said he liked it! So I was like Okay! I'll do it! Weeeee. It shouldn't be that long. Theres like gonna be one plot twist... or maybe two. And the chapters are gonna be short. Anyways. I hope you enjoy! Because this is like a new OTP of mine...**

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**Where The Sidewalk Ends**

**There is a place where the sidewalk ends  
****and before the street begins,  
****and there the grass grows soft and white,  
****and there the sun burns crimson bright,  
****and there the moon-bird rests from his flight  
****to cool in the peppermint wind.**

**Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black  
****and the dark street winds and bends.  
****Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow  
****we shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow  
****and watch where the chalk-white arrows go  
****to the place where the sidewalk ends.**

**Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,  
****and we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,  
****for the children, they mark, and the children, they know,  
****the place where the sidewalk ends.**

**-Shel Silverstein**

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"Haruhiko, I'll need you to be at the construction site in half an hour. Inoue-san will be there with the proposal."

"Father, its my day off-"

"You're the one who wanted to pursue architecture, so here I am looking for business for you. The least you could do is say 'Thank you'." Fuyuhiko reprimanded, "Honestly, I try and try. Just be there. I'll be paying Akihiko a visit today so I'll be busy."

"Alright, father. I'll be there."

"Good."

And with that he hung up, gone as quickly as he had interrupted. Sipping the rest of my tea, I stood up and walked over to my office to gather the materials I would need. I also made a mental list of the things I would need to discuss with Inoue-san. Looking at the clock on my desk, I decided that if I only had half an hour to get there, I would need to leave now.

Thankfully, I was no longer residing in the enormous Usami Estate. Although I still worked under the architectural branch of Usami Corp, I was more independent and I moved out. I now lived in a penthouse high above the city, the location made it easy to get almost anywhere quickly, at least faster that waiting the five minutes to just get out of the Usami Estate's property and the other ten minutes to find the main road. Luckily, it wasn't rush hour just yet and I estimated that I would be able to arrive at the site with minutes to spare.

Today, however, just wasn't my day. Driving up to an intersection, to my dismay, I saw that there had been a collision and there were paramedics and police officers around going about their duties while one was directing traffic. Since there were no other cars behind me, I decided to pull up next to the man and inquire of the incident. As well as try to sneak my way to the right street I needed to take. The officer had directed me to the left, but to get to my destination quickly, I needed to go straight, or else I would have to face the incessant corrections of the GPS.

Rolling down the window, I saw that the man was considerably younger than me, somewhere between 10 and 15 years younger judging by the astonishing youthful smile he managed to show and the way he said "Good Evening, sir." with his mature, but still developing voice. The smile reminded me of a certain brunette whose name I couldn't quite remember nor did I care to at the moment. Not while I had something this interesting right in front of me.

Realizing that I'd been staring for quite a while now without saying anything, I coughed to regain my composure and asked, "What happened?" jabbing a thumb over to the side of the road where the paramedics were now loading a woman onto the ambulance. "It seems as though they're clearing up now, mind if I take that road instead?"

Laughing the boy replied, "Oh, no sir. It was actually pretty bad, that woman broke her arm and the glass from both vehicles has scattered all over the area. Wouldn't want this nice car of your's getting scratched up now, right?" he replied with a bright and sincere smile.

I felt the need to offer my own compliment back but he was wearing the standard officer's uniform so it wasn't like I could tell him I liked his shirt... Instead I settled for complimenting his eyes. They were a refreshing combination of striking grey and a splash of light green around the pupil. He was surprised for a second but smiled nonetheless and thanked me for the flattery. I couldn't help but smile myself in the fleeting moment until another car drove up that needed guidance. The young officer looked up and a face of confidence sweeping over his features, as if he was very excited and ready to get back to work. _'How odd,' _I thought.

"Well, see you around, sir. Have a nice day." And with a mumbled reply, I bid him farewell and took the route he had originally directed me in without a second thought.

I drove for a moment, not noticing the smile on my face until the repetitive monotone voice of the GPS finally reached my ears. "SHIT" I exclaimed, I'd missed both exits to the site and now the device was demanding me to "make the next available U-turn". Thinking back, I never even tried to take the route I needed to, instead I just took the road he pointed me to.

I now had less than 5 minutes to get where I needed to be and didn't plan on wasting any of them.

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**Boop. ok. wow. that was short. Get ready cause these are gonna be short. Hmm, the name for this pair might be... something that has to do with protection, and ends in -ca and sounds latin or something lol. Any ideas? This is going to be updated once a week until I run out of prewritten chapters, but maybe by then I'll have finished it... **

**Can't Help Falling In Love With You was gonna be up today buuuuut~ I spent most of my time coming up with a halfway decent summary for this. Maybe tomorrow?**

**Sukisushi doesn't only love sushi, she enjoys reviews very much. **


	2. How Many, How Much

**Ch. 2 How Many How Much**

**Ok so nevermind, I think Sundays are suitable enough days for updates... And I also just want to know what you all think~! I hope you like it! :) Thank you for reading.**

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**How Many, How Much**

**How many slams in an old screen door?  
Depends how loud you shut it.  
How many slices in a bread?  
Depends how thin you cut it.  
How much good inside a day?  
Depends how good you live 'em.  
How much love inside a friend?  
Depends how much you give 'em**

**~Shel Silverstein**

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Thankfully I'd made it on time, Inoue-san had seemingly arrived just seconds before me and was glad to see me. It hadn't been too long since we'd last met, but he claimed to have missed doing business with me. Earlier in the year we had worked on the new Primary school and community college that would be located in the area and both were now under construction. We were now planning for a public library and by the size of the site, Inoue-san would want a **big **one.

Its part of his latest project to build a community based neighborhood. One where you could say you lived in Tokyo, but avoid all the loud hustle and bustle of Tokyo street life. It is very upscale, but can also suit those with a more modest income. The community was yet to be named - as it hadn't even been advertised to the public - but when it was finished would include: a Primary school, community college, library, postal office, rec center, park, and a Central Office where community meetings and events would be held. There would also be an outdoor 'mall' strip where the grocery store was to be located, a laundromat and other random stores, cafes and a few convenience stores scattered around. There would also be a few things I wouldn't be making plans for like, a fire station, a few bus stops and amazingly, Inoue-san wanted to make a subway stop by the outdoor mall for easy access if and residents wanted to take the train from work directly to the store. It sounded a bit outlandish to me, but Inoue-san was a lot like me. Innovative and logical - even if his logic seemed a little far out.

I'm not sure where he got all this money to do these kinds of things, but its his life. Let him do what he wants.

I was thankful I could actually focus on my work. When I arrived, I still had thoughts of the young officer in my head and was worried I wouldn't have the drive to work efficiently and professionally. However as the day progressed, I was deep into the work going on around me. Inoue-san and I discussed the budget and different ideas of what he wanted the interior and exterior of the library to look like. He seemed worried that the budget would be limiting, but it really wasn't. I explained that with the money left, he could invest on some very nice landscaping to compliment the idea of the building.

Afterwards, we continued to discuss the next project for the new vicinity and I was slightly alarmed to find out that Moritaka Yumi would be responsible for the plans of the outdoor mall _and _post office. Alarmed because I hadn't the slightest idea Moritaka knew about this project. Last I'd heard, he was in Wales constructing a hotel.

However, it made sense. Although we were both of the same age, Moritaka hadn't gone through the same situation as me and has had more experience than me in respect to the architecture of retail locations and government buildings. But when it came to the aesthetics of libraries, convention centers and schools, my talent greatly outweighed his experience

As the day came to an end, I found myself thinking of the young man from earlier. I even drove back to the scene of the accident in hopes of maybe catching a glance of his light brown hair and his grey-green eyes. To hear his carefree laugh and see his honest smile. Both were etched into my mind like a colorful painting of a bare white wall. It was nice and refreshing, genuine and different from the other smiles I received on a daily basis. But sadly, my endeavor was in vain, there were no signs of the accident that was present just earlier that day and I drove home discreetly sulking in silence.

That night I dreamed of three colors, light brown, dark brown and green. The green was present in both the light brown figure and the dark brown figure and both seemed to be bickering with each other. Not in an angry way, just bickering about unimportant things. I, however, was feeling out of sorts, looking at the dark brown figure, I felt a certain pain and then longing. Like I had somehow betrayed this figure and wanted it to become my friend again. But then glancing upon the light brown figure, I felt jaunty, happy. Like everything would be right with the world if I left the dark brown figure alone and joined the light brown figure.

But the dark brown figure still called out to me somehow, like the selfish side of me wanted it no matter what the circumstances were. I felt the name of it on the tip of my tongue, but couldn't get it out just yet.

Now, I was starting to feel a confused pain all over, even if I hadn't chosen which figure to side with. It was like my heart was pulling me towards the light brown figure but my mind was pulling me towards the dark brown figure. Just before I went completely to the side of the light brown figure, I awoke and sat up quickly.

"Misaki," I breathed in the name, savoring it like wine. And I finally understood, it was Misaki that I was betraying. Usually I would spare him most of my thoughts throughout the day, but not once had I even thought of his name yet. All I'd though of, if I hadn't been working, was the young police officer.

Why was I thinking so much of him? I didn't even know his name! Why would I allow such a person to invade the time I spent thinking about the precious Misaki. Even if it had been a year or two since he'd formally rejected by advances, I couldn't help but think of the brunette on a daily basis. And today was the first day, in a long time, that I hadn't thought of him.

Something was definitely wrong with me.

I resolved to do a little snooping and found that Misaki would be working at Marukawa today until 5pm. I'd wait for him until he finished work and ask him to join me for a cup of coffee before I returned him home. I had no other intentions as I knew very well that he had no interest in me. I just needed to refill myself on his eyes and his voice, the way he would treat me with kindness even if he didn't want to be around me. Then everything would be fine again and turn back to normal.

Feeling content with myself, and secure in my decision, I got out of bed and got ready for the day.

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**Sorry for all this backround prologue stuff messiness... gotts to prepare for the good stuff though! Let me know what you think so far! Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

**See you next weekend! C:**


	3. Listen To The Mustn'ts

**Ch. 3 Listen To The Mustn'ts**

**It really isn't like I'm trying to make this Shel Silverstein-y themed. I just love how playful his poems are, Maybe they'll add a little happiness to the story... Sorry if they haven't made any sense or been related to the story... somehow in my head they have.**

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**Listen To The Mustn'ts**

**Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,  
****Listen to the DON'TS  
****Listen to the SHOULDN'TS  
****The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS  
****Listen to the NEVER HAVES  
****Then listen close to me—  
****Anything can happen, child,  
****ANYTHING can be.**

**-Shel Silverstein**

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_'I only want coffee. I only want coffee. I'm just taking him __**only **__to get coffee.' _Was what I kept repeating to myself. I was becoming far too anxious to see the brunette. I justified my actions because I had a problem that needed to be fixed. For some reason I had left him in the back of my mind yesterday, paying him no mind and instead chose to think of the young officer I'd met only yesterday. And now I feared I would begin to forget even the littlest details of the captivating chocolate haired boy. I knew it was an irrational fear, but the only way I could fix my anxiety would be to visit the boy and rid myself of the problem.

It was now 5pm so he should be walking out at any moment. I made sure to clear up my schedule for the day and even went so far as finishing some work that wouldn't need to be done until next week. The reason for this was because, if by some miracle Misaki wanted to talk for longer than anticipated, I'd have no reservation or restraints to deny him.

Thankfully, a familiar brunette mop of hair dashed out the sliding doors of the Marukawa Publishing House. After turning on the car, I saw that the boy was running away from where I was. Surley he hadn't seen me yet and fled out of fear, I was still in my car. He seemed to be in a hurry or something so I just followed him. When he finally began to slow down, I tried pulling up beside him, but was caught at a stoplight.

He had finally stopped, but seemed to have met up with someone whose face I couldn't see because a little girl's purple balloon had obscured my vision. I doubted it was Akihiko as the two were only a few centimeters apart in height judging by the level of their shoulders. I never had the chance to see the person however, because as the girl's balloon moved out of my view, the two were walking into the theatre. And to my irritation, the light had only just now changed for me to go.

I decided that it would be best if I just killed two hours instead of hurrying to find a parking place and risk the chance of looking like a creeper trying to find out which movie they'd gone to see,

Time passed rather quickly as I had busied myself with some building sketches and floor plans that had been on my mind. When I looked up, I saw the familiar chocolate mop and the other person walking away. Quickly I left the papers on the passenger's side, turned on the car and followed them.

I thought they would part sometime, but instead they both walked into a Mos Burger. It wouldn't hurt if I joined them, right? Maybe I could subtly shoo the other person away to get some much needed alone time with Misaki. I parked the car on the same side as the establishment and walked in. Scanning the room for the familiar mess of hair, I found it sitting with the other person in the far right of the restaurant. They were both seated in a booth chatting animatedly about the movie perhaps and Misaki was facing me, the face of the stranger still unknown. Judging by the extensive use of their hands, they were probably talking about something very exciting and I couldn't help but smile a little as it warmed my heart to see Misaki so full of energy.

Drawing closer, I finally caught the brunette's attention, but regretted it because the fun and excitement in the boy's peridot eyes had now disappeared and was replaced by some sort of wall of protection with guards of fear. His friend had been talking, but when the brunette's skin turned pale, he stopped talking and looked back to see what the problem was.

To my utter shock, the one staring back at me was the young police officer from the other day. His green grey eyes meeting my own and locking into a stare, like we were both shocked into silence at seeing each other. Misaki was silently freaking out and an award silence fell over the table. Luckily, the young man broke the silence by exclaiming, "Hey!" and to my disbelief offered me to join them at their table. Still staring, I took the proffered seat and noticed how Misaki hastily took out his phone to send a text.

Which was obviously sent to the young man beside me as no less than 5 seconds after Misaki set his cell down, did the touchscreen phone of the officer chime. He chuckled out loud and said, "Of course I know him, Misaki. He-"

"You know Usagi-ani! How?" the brunette interrupted as if he couldn't believe his ears. Then slouched back into his chair blushing over the fact he'd said 'Usagi'. I didn't exactly mind though. Somehow I was still blown away by the fact that I'd met up with the same guy from yesterday!

Catching the nickname, the sandy brunette replied, "Actually yes, Misaki. I met Usami-san yesterday."

Just as he was about to reply, Misaki's phone buzzed, and opening it he groaned. "Todou, I'm so sorry but I was supposed to meet up with Usagi-san 10 minutes ago. Do you need me to walk home with you?"

"Ah, no that's fine, Misaki." Looking over to me the sandy brunette continued, "I'll just stay with Usami-san for a little while." he offered a smile and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Ehh, are you sure? Usagi-san won't mind." the brunette asked.

Interjecting, I said, "It's fine, Misaki. I'll make sure he gets home. Akihiko's probably waiting." Somehow, the idea of Misaki going to Akihiko wasn't such a bad idea. It was a bit unnerving to think so, but the thought of spending time with the unnamed character beside me was too good to pass up.

"It's all right, Misaki. I'll call you later on?"

"O-Okay," he nervously replied. After quickly grabbing his things, the boy scrambled out. Leaving me and his friend alone in the air-conditioned room of the fast-food joint.

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**Dude, its already Sunday? It was just Thursday though...  
Just to let you all know my thoughts and prayers are with those who have been effected by the Bombing on Monday, most of my readers are in the US and if any of you were there or had family there (luckily all mine wasn't close by) I hope your recovery is quick and easy if it has effected you in such a way that it is life changing. :) *chu***

**Glob, I love crack pairings... well like good ones (in my opinion) cause I've heard people want to ship Ijuuin-sensei and Yanase Yuu... nope. Yuu's true pairing is ONLY Hisashi Araki... I agree with TBF101, Yuu needs an uke. I mean I did read another one where Yuu was with a composer...? guy and that seemed pretty good even if Yuu was das uke... (enough with my opinions and off topicness) If you haven't heard of Hisahi, read ****Always ****by The Black Flamingo 101 its reeaaallllyyy goood. She has a sequel for it and she's featured them in her SiH version of The Uke Flu. **

**I love reviews. ;) and favorites and follows, let me know what you're thinking so far, I'd absolutely love to hear anything and everything from you all. **


	4. Signals

**Ch. 4 Signals**

**Blip. there will be a 4.5 that i'll publish-whatever-you-say on Wednesday. :)**

**Enjoy~**

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**Signals**

**When the light is green you go.  
****When the light is red you stop.  
****But what do you do  
****When the light is blue  
****With orange and lavender spots?**

**~Shel Silverstein**

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At first it was awkward. And not awkward as in we silently started at each other after I moved to sit across from him. Awkward in the sense that there was an inconsistency in our interactions and the way we worded things. As if we both meant one thing but the other heard something entirely different which lead to explanations and deep-rooted thoughts.

"So you're Usami-sensei's younger brother?" he'd inquired earlier.

"No, I'm the oldest." I replied smoothly, although I was baffled as to why he thought otherwise.

"Ehh?! But you, he- his... his hair's already grey."

"Oh, that. Well, him and I are half brothers - his mother being English and mine being Japanese." I could see the way he shifted in his seat and, somehow, felt bad he'd asked something so private. I didn't mind however, thus far he'd been the one doing most of the talking and I'd found out quite a bit about him. Quickly dispelling his uneasiness I added, "His hair has always been like that, although when we were much younger it was more on the blondish side than now."

It was different to see the many emotions that danced over his features when talking about something particularly exciting. Different because, normally, my day consisted of painted masks and cold expressions. And different because I was _attracted_ to this face portraying all these feelings, attracted to a face other than Misaki's.

Yet, it was nice, getting to know each other while talking about the deep things, the sort of serious things and the slightly philosophic things that really interested us.

"...and then it so weird - to say that acting like that would be my last resort, but who knows? We're so accustomed to getting what we want then and there, and using and abusing whatever power we have to get it. It's such a shame that it's just human nature, there's nothing we can do about it, its _normal_ for us to behave that way. I just hope and pray that if the problem ever arises, that I can be level-headed and _think _about what I'm doing."

"I couldn't agree more, the ending was my favorite part of that episode... 'For civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized.' This sounds weird, but Rod Serling's voice just gives me shivers."* I replied, rubbing my arms for emphasis. "By the way, when did you learn english? Or did they finally translate or subtitle the series?"

"Ah, no, my father made my sisters and I attend a private school that emphasized on learning english. There were days where the teachers would only speak english so I understand the language pretty well. I have a pen pal in Florida and he mentioned it once, I asked him about and he ended up sending me the entire series on DVD!"

"Florida, huh? I've only been to New York - it's much warmer down there isn't it? New York is pretty cold, I saw The Twilight Zone when I went during the fall. It was around the time they celebrate something called 'Halloween'... its kind of like our Obon, but they dress up and children go to their neighbor's houses... it's kind of weird..."

Many times did we parch our throats out before taking a pause and refilling out cups to quench a physical thirst. After long sips and relaxing silence, we resumed our conversations, picking different topics and viewpoints with a rekindled and burning fire. Surprisingly we had enough in common to last us hours until we realized we were the only ones still in the store.

The employees were cleaning tables and appliances, taking out trash and going about their nightly routine. Not bothering with us as we didn't cause them any trouble - yet, at least.

I unconsciously looked over at my watch and realized how late it was and grimaced. He caught my expression and turned on his phone to check the time as well.

"Oh crap! Darnit, it's so late. I didn't mean to keep you out so long Usami-san. I've gotta go before I miss the train!"

With haste he stuffed his things into his pockets and while watching him, I found myself saying, "Don't worry, I'll take you home." and he ceased his movements while I still watched him silently hoping he'd agree without too much bustle.

"Thank you for the offer, Usami-san, but that won't be necessary. If I leave now I should make it-"

"No its fine. I'm in no rush, let me drive you home." Standing up to gather my own things and throw away the last of the trash, I walked over to the entrance and motioned for him to join me.

He stood by the booth for a moment before shuffling up beside me and walking out the door with a mumbled, "Thank you." Taking my keys out from my pocket, I pushed the unlock button making the car flash and beep in response. I smiled at the way he shrunk back into his more reserved self. Although I would rather him talking and enthusiastic, I felt smug that I was part of the select few who could know that side of him so early on.

"Usami-san, it's really alright if I take the train. I wouldn't want to mess up your car."

"I said it was fine, please, get in." After he finally got in, I turned the car and pulled away from the fast food place. "Where to?" I asked. He gave me the directions throughout the way while we talking about a few lighter topics like our jobs and the hot weather forecasted for the rest of the week.

Finally arriving to his apartment, he paused before exiting the car. His face was hesitant, but resolute and before he really gave it much thought, he asked, "Could we do this some other time?"

Which floored me, I wasn't really expecting that. I thought he would ask me to wait until he got inside the building for me to leave or some other sort of favor. But to do this _again? _That was more than I could ask for, but if he wanted to, I'd be all for it. I'd really enjoyed myself and would be looking forward for it to happen again. "Sure," I responded. "How about we exchange numbers?"

And he smiled that enchanting smile, full of happiness and agreed. "I won't be able to call tomorrow, but maybe the day after?" he asked.

"That'd be great," I replied. Already anxious for the next time I'd be able to see him.

After a moment of slightly awkward silence he said, "Well, goodnight Usami-san."

Smiling slightly, I replied, "Goodnight, Todou-kun." and to my surprise, he blushed faintly before scrambling out and running inside. As I drove off, I couldn't help but think, '_I could get used to this_.'

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**Bweeeep. Review?**

***This was an actual conversation I had with a friend (she's 40 something, because most teens - i don't think- spend their time watching Twilight Zone), and we were discussing the episode entitled 'The Shelter' it's a real eye opener and I just love it. The Twilight Zone is absolutely amazing and I too agree, Rod Serling's voice. Its amazing, not it a 'Ohh let me kiss you' way, its in a I'm-talking-to-your-soul way. No homo was meant by Haruhiko's comment. I really suggest watching Twilight Zone, I've only seen like 1 epi of the 80's version but it was good. The 50's/60's version 'tho - laaawwwrrrdd it's just so **_**crazy**_** how different things were. In one episode they mentioned someone had an appointment on September 11th and I sat there thinking, wow. They have no idea that 50 years from then... that day will be _engraved_ in history. I have goose bumps and my hands are shaking just from thinking about it. **

**Obon: I think its like a 3 day festival where the Japanese believe that their ancestors return to their native or birthplace... more details about that to come~**

**Anyway, enough with my blabbering. Let me know what you think? Maybe if you watch/have seen Twilight Zone tell me what's you fav episode? THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE REVIEWED! */O/* TE AMO Y TE MANDO MUCHOS BESOS Y AMOR. ICH HABE LIEBE FüR DICH UND ICH SCHIKE VIELE KüSSE. yeah ...**

**that german might be wrong... **


	5. What Did

**Ch. 4.5 What Did**

**This is gonna be uber short like and 'omake' but hardly. Just wanted a little extra interaction between Todou and Misaki. :) Aaaand there's a long A/N you might want to check out at the end.**

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**What Did**

**What did the carrot say to the wheat?  
**" '**Lettuce' rest, I'm feeling 'beet.' "  
****What did the paper say to the pen?  
**"**I feel quite all 'write,' my friend."  
****What did the teapot say to the chalk?  
****Nothing, you silly . . . teapots can't talk!**

**~Shel Silverstein**

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Although I'd had such a fun day and wanted to conclude it with a nice hot shower, I remembered I needed to call Misaki. I knew it was late, but before he'd left he really wanted me to make sure to call him. It would be bad if he worried too much and since I wouldn't be able to get in touch with him tomorrow, I might as well call him now.

"Todou?" Misaki's groggy voice responded.

"Ah! Did I disturb you, Misaki? Were you sleeping? I said I'd call, sorry its so late."

"Oh! No its fine! Are _you_ okay?" I heard him shuffling around and a deep mumble in the backround to which Misaki muttered back to. I could probably guess who it was, but instead of creating an akward situation, I brushed it aside like I normally would.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you... okay?" He asked, sounding concerned but stiffling a yawn.

"Of course, I just got back. Why?"

"Well, Usagi-ani's a bit... of a weirdo. I was just worried he'd... nevermind. What... what did you two do?"

I was still a little curious as to what Misaki was talking about, but was more eager to explain how much I'd enjoyed myself. "Well, we stayed at Mos Burger and talked."

"Talked? About what?"

"Hmm, a lot of things. He's an amazing listener and really smart. _He's _seen the Twilight Zone."

"Well, he's probably been to America and knows english. Todou, I've told you, my english is terrible! I just don't get it!"

Sighing, I replied, "Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean I understand how its so hard for you, you're probably just overthinking it."

I heard him huff and we both dropped the subject which we'd gone over _many _times.

"How's Usami-sensei? Did you make it on time to whatever you two were doing?" I wasn't particularly concerned about it, but it was funny the way Misaki began to splutter and cough, and I could almost visualize how figety he was.

"Eh, well it was fine. He just wanted me to help him with picking our groceries. He really can't tell if something is ri...pe enough or not." I had to cover my mouth so as to not laugh at how hard Misaki had just swallowed.

"Is that so? Well, I'll leave you alone now. Still have to grab a shower before bed, tomorrow's gonna be a long day. I'll call you sometime later in the week?"

"Yeah. Okay. Good luck with your test stuff. Goodnight Todou."

"See you later."

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**Okay, maybe that was unnecessary buuuut as I proof read (?) I felt like I needed a filler before the next chapter. Reviews are accepted here :)**

**A/N You Might Wanna Read, But It's Cool If You Don't:**  
**I'm sorry my friends but I'm gonna need to take a mini hiatus until probably the week after next so maybe by the 18th, I'll be back. I'm so sorry for this but life stinks and decisions have to be made to prepare for a future I would rather not have to be a part of =_=  
****Basically, if any of you want to know... I want to be an art teacher when I grow up D: but I'm a real worrywart when it comes to things in the future and the chances of becoming an art teacher and being able to do the things I want are very slim, so I'm going to persue a career in Technical Engineering (totally diff, right?) which has better opportunities and jazz like that, the reason I'm going on a mini hiatus is because I'm gonna be applying for a sort of thingy where I spend a week in another state (all expenses paid) learning and junk with peeps who like that stuff too and there's a lot of things I need to do before I apply, i.e write an essay, fix my Facebook, etc. etc. Its due May 17 but of course things like these need to be turned early and to make up for the lateness, I'll post one chapter Sat and then next Sun of that weekend. Again, sorry but thanks for understanding. :)**


	6. Ch 5 Point Of View

**Ch. 5 Point Of View **

**Haru's POV**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

**Point Of View**

**Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless  
Christmas dinner's dark and blue  
When you stop and try to see it  
From the turkey's point of view.**

**Sunday dinner isn't sunny  
Easter feasts are just bad luck  
When you see it from the viewpoint  
Of a chicken or a duck.**

**Oh how I once loved tuna salad  
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too  
'Til I stopped and looked at dinner  
From the dinner's point of view.**

**~Shel Silverstein**

* * *

And somehow it continues as so for months. We meet up often or atleast as often as our schedules allow. Talking over dinners at different places, foods and venues ranging from Korean takeout at the park to the acclaimed Beef Wellington served in Teito Hotel. Learning more and more about each other from what shades of blue we like the most and how mindblowing it is that there could be other forms of life somewhere far, far away.

I couldn't fathom how interesting it was to talk with Todou-kun. All my life spent in silence and then to finally meet someone with whom I could discuss and interpret the complexities of the world. It was exhilarating, refreshing, thrilling, and addicting, unlike any other thing I'd been encountered with so far. I wanted nothing more than to be in touch with him all the time, seeing his face and the way he carried himself, listening to his humble voice and taking note of his every move.

His presence was intoxicating, I felt like a completely different person everytime we would meet up. I felt like someone who could speak their mind and not be judged, but uplifted and praised for their own ideas. Of course in my line of work, I was always appreciated, sought after - but this feeling was real and not supposititious.

I've relished in the feelings he gave me, but also have been self concious about the extent to which I need him so. He's expressed his concern that I give too much and take too little, his example being that I am always the one to pay for our meals and transportation costs. Yet I find the situation to be the exact opposite, the money isn't an issue for me so I usually just act without thinking, _he_ is the one giving far too much and recieving too little.

Texting was common between us, as it was a quick way to discuss our day and go into vague detail of what had gone wrong and what had gone right. They were quick and could be sent in between the breaks in our day.

However, at times I felt that I was the sole party initiating the conversations which caused me to feel like I was overstepping boundaries. At one point, out of haste, I quit texting him altogether, until he sent a late night message apoligizing for bothering me but too worried not to make sure I was okay. This ultimately left me to feel even worse than before and calling him in the midst of my sleep hazed mind.

He took a moment to pick up, but when he at last responded I found that his voice was raspy and harsh. And after many questions did he finally explain he'd cried, of course it was only a little, but he clarified that it was solely because of his concern for me. He'd been worried out of his mind for the past few days, but was happy now to finally hear my voice.

At that comment, my mind froze. _'He's __**happy**__ to hear __**me**__?' _I thought. No one had ever said that, nothing even remotely close to that. Not even, Takahashi-kun.

In that moment, I realized I loved him. He was the one. The one who I needed to be with and wanted nothing more than to be with him forever. Even if he didn't love me back, it'd be okay as long as I could be around him, see him, take in all the feelings he aroused in me. It wasn't a crushing discovery, it was uplifting and freeing.

And that's how I found myself the next day, with a bottle of champagne and an embarrassingly flushed face standing infront of Todou-kun's door, building up the nerve to just ring the darn doorbell. Finally, I sighed, cleared my mind and felt the blush fade. After jabbing the button, I could hear the chime ring throughout the abode accompanied by some shuffling and a muted "Hai, Hai" coming from the other side of the door.

After a couple more seconds, the door opened, revealing the well built Todou-kun clad in a white T-shirt, black sweats and a red apron folded over to cover his lower half. An outfit undoubtly more comfortable than the brand new casual formal suit I had donned for the occassion.

"Ah! Usami-san you made it!" He said with his captivating smile. "Come in," Either he was used to my attire or didn't notice how over the top I looked. Walking into the genkan, I akwardly handed the bag containing the beverage and began removing my shoes. "Ehh, I didn't say you had to bring anything."

"Its... my apology gift...? I'm sorry I-"

"Usami-san, its fine! I was just being selfish, you coming over is enough. I should be the one saying I'm sorry, you were probably very busy tonight."

"And as I've said, its fine. I don't have any work until the day after tomorrow. And anyways, what's cooking? It smells very good."

Smiling, he replied, "It isn't much, just some tempura, rice and miso." He walked down the hallway and motioned for me to follow.

Stepping into the living room, my heart softened, it was nice and cozy. Warm and inviting, just like his personality. I was begginning to drift away with my thoughts when he called me over to the table.

"...food's ready." he said. I sat down and waited for him to sit as well. He fidgeted for a bit until he finally said, "Would you like the champagne? Or tea, because although I'm not ashamed of my cooking, champagne seems too fancy."

"Well, whatever you're comfortable with. I don't particularly mind. if you want you could save it for some other time, its your's, do whatever you want with it."

He decided to get the tea and we ate in comfortable silence, it was different since we normally enjoyed conversation with each other, but I didn't mind. It felt like we were in any other place and it took me a while before I realized this was the first time we were eating in his house.

We'd eaten in mine a few times to watch a movie on my new flatscreen and ordering Indian takeout, but this was the first time ever eating in his with homemade food. And after a few more moments I realized this was _homemade_ food. "Todou-kun! Wait, you made this yourself?!" I was shocked, this food was _good_. Better than any of the other foods we'd eaten before.

"Oh, um yes. I made it all myself, well i didn't _grow_ it but I cooked it myself." he responded.

"This is amazing! I've never had anything this good."

"Whaaat? You're lying. That Filet Mignon we had last month was too good. This is just regular old homecooking."

"No really, its delicious. I wish _I_ could cook like this."

"You can't cook, Usami-san?"

"Nope, not at all."

"Hmmm,"

And just when I though a conversation might strike up, the room fell silent, with only the clinking of dishes and cups.

* * *

**Gah, that ending was cheap... I'm sorry T^T I just didn't know how to conclude it.**


	7. Ch 6 Whatif

**Ch. 6 Whatif**

**Todou-kuuuuuuun's POV! and back to previous night! Hope you like!**

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday, totally forgot about it! Sorry about that. Also, I'm just gonna stick with 1 chapter this week. See you next Sunday!**

* * *

**Whatif**

**Last night, while I lay thinking here,  
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear  
and pranced and partied all night long  
and sang their same old Whatif song:  
Whatif I'm dumb in school?  
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?  
Whatif I get beat up?  
Whatif there's poison in my cup?  
Whatif I start to cry?  
Whatif I get sick and die?  
Whatif I flunk that test?  
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?  
Whatif nobody likes me?  
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?  
Whatif I don't grow taller?  
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?  
Whatif the fish won't bite?  
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?  
Whatif they start a war?  
Whatif my parents get divorced?  
Whatif the bus is late?  
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?  
Whatif I tear my pants?  
Whatif I never learn to dance?  
Everything seems well, and then  
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!**

**-Shel Silverstein**

* * *

_'What the heck's wrong with me?' _I was feeling so upset that tears started to form in my eyes.

_'Why hasn't he talked to me yet?' _Did he find out that I like him? But I've been trying to keep it a secret! How did he find out?

_'He's probably disgusted by me.' _That's why we haven't talked at all this week.

_'I sat too close to him at the park last Sunday, didn't I?' _But he smelled so good! I couldn't help it!

_'Wait, what if something happened to him? _

_Oh man, what if he got kidnapped? -Or worse, man-napped! _

_Or what if he's in the hospital? _

_Maybe he got mugged and stabbed in an alley and is dying at this very moment!' _

The fears I had only begun to think about were now playing and replaying in my head like a broken tapes, only every time it replayed, it got worse. The tears I was fighting hard to keep back began to spill over at the thought of anything happening to Haruhiko-san.

I quickly slapped my cheeks to shake me back to my senses. "Stop acting like an idiot! He's probably just really busy, he did say that... Noe-san? needed him this week." But my worries remained swarming around my head like an influx of cicadas, and the tears raining down my face began soaking into my sheets. I wanted nothing more than to text him just to make sure he was okay, but I couldn't bear it if I bothered him. He's such a nice person, it would be bad if he got upset because I called him so late at night.

I struggled with my thoughts for what seemed like hours, cycles of crying, anger, and worry spun around my head until, out of haste in the middle of my fitful sobbing, I sent him a text saying, '_I'm so sorry for bothering you so late, but I was worried if you were okay. We haven't met up in a while' _Double checking for any careless mistakes or grammatical errors, holding my breath and sending it quickly as to not second-guess myself.

Once the 'sent' blip went off, I breathed out which calmed my nerves a bit. Looking at the screen, I screeched when I saw exactly how late it was, 3:42 a.m. "EH!" _'Its that late?' _

"Oh, God. now he's definitely going to hate me!" My sobbing returned and I hid myself under the safety of my pillows and blankets.

To my surprise, moments later, my phone began vibrating. Scrambling to see who it was, I was amazed to find that it was Haruhiko-san! Hundreds of emotions soared and swelled in my chest so quickly that it hurt. I promptly wiped away any lingering tears and answered the phone making a mental note to address him formally since we were really only friends.

"Todou, are you all right? Is everything okay?" I couldn't help the blush that rose onto my cheeks at the sound of his husky voice, rough from sleep, deeper than normal and slightly slurred. It was a big relief to finally hear the sound of his voice, happiness became the dominant emotion within me and tears of joy threatened to spill over.

I sniffled a little before answering, "Yes, I'm fine."

"Well, you don't sound too fine. Have a bad dream?"

"No! I hardly ever have bad dreams."

"Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?" His tone was now very serious and I could hear him throw over his covers and begin to climb out of bed.

"No! No, I'm fine!" I wanted to tell him that I was doing great now that I finally knew he was safe and sound, but that would be waaaaaaay too embarrassing!

"Are you sure? Your text sounded like you needed help or something, are you sick? You sound a little sniffly.

"What's up? You don't usually call me this late." he finished. Judging by the way his breath calmed down, he was probably back under his covers.

"Oh! Um, yeah, I'm very sorry about that. I didn't realize how late it was."

There was a long pause and when he spoke again, I could hear the frown and furrowed brows in his voice, "Todou-kun, what's wrong?"

I didn't think he was teasing me, and he sounded too sleepy to be upset. All I heard was deep concern.

I didn't _want _ to tell him why I'd called him, but I also didn't want to worry him. But it's not like I'll be confessing to him... friends worry about each other, right? "I w-was just worried... about you. Are _you _okay? I was really worried that something might've happened to you, but I'm alright now! It makes me happy to finally hear your voice! I was just crying at the thought of something bad happening to yo-" I didn't catch onto what I had been saying until then and stopped short. Blushing furiously because Haruhiko-san hadn't said anything yet.

I was starting to get a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. '_He's found out my secret! He's disgusted by me and we'll never get to meet up again! He's probably thinking of the polite way to break things off, I'll never be able to see-'_

"Is that so?" what surprised me was the smirk in his voice that completely blew my fears away. He sounded fine, like what I had said didn't deter him in the slightest and I could finally exhale a breath of relief. He now sounded like he was thinking, so I waited patiently for what he would say next.

"Todou-kun, forgive me for the lost communication, but I have to work tomorro- er, today. How about we have dinner tonight? How does the Ritz Carlton sound? I'll pick you up at-"

"Oh, no that's fine, Usami-san! We just went to Prince Park last time, that must've been so expensive! How about I make dinner and you come over after work?"

He sighed, too tired to give his speech about how money was no object to him, but seemed content with my idea and agreed. Giving me the time he'd be off, we both said goodnight and hung up.

Thankfully the worries I had kept bottled up disappeared and sleep was easily achieved.

* * *

**This was confusing to write... By the time I typed this up, I'd already penned down to chapter 11 so I had like no idea what was going on... **

**Ermablurb. Like I looked up 'fancy hotels in tokyo' and found so many that were TOO fancy. Like woah, but I mean, Prince Park is only ~220$ a night for 2 adults... which for such a fancy place is pretty good. The catch is, a ticket to Japan costs 1562$ from Nashville, TN to Narita. -_- yeeeaaah. plus it has a stop. -_- of course for my situation I could also leave from New York and it would cost 1427$ w/ no stops or 1068$ w/ 1 stop, but then I'd have to spend atleast 400$ on gas to drive there, so really there's no luck. -_- if only Akihiko or Haruhiko were mein Shatzi's... **

**Sorry for my useless info, but from what this site says you should really check out Prince Park, (its like across the street from Tokyo tower!) and The Peninsula... if you have the time and money for that. ;)**


	8. Ch 7 Frozen Dream

**Ch. 7 Frozen Dream**

_*****WAAAAAHH! READ THIS FRIENDS!***  
So I accidently forgot to ever post the actual chapter five! Please go back to the 'Ch 5 Point Of View' chapter because you might get all mixed up. I'm sosososososoooo sorry for that mix up. It was the 4.5 chapter that messed me up.**_

* * *

**Back to the present! Haruhiko's POV. WOOT confession tiiiime! X) and woah, this is like the longest chapter. Danke, Danke Danke! For the reviews friends! Sorry if it seems like im lagging behind with this! I've been just so busy lately!**

** I really wanted to break it up but couldn't find where to sooo, here you go!**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

**Frozen Dream**

**I'll take the dream I had last night  
****And put it in my freezer,  
****So someday long and far away  
****When I'm an old grey geezer,  
****I'll take it out and thaw it out,  
****This lovely dream I've frozen,  
****And boil it up and sit me down  
****A dip my old cold toes in.**

**~Shel Silverstein**

* * *

"Gochisosama," I said, as I stood up and began to gather the plates and bowls I'd used. Once i'd piled them up neatly, I piled up Todou's as well and took them into the kitchen. I thought it would be polite to wash them, but as I turned on the water, he interrupted and asked.

"Usami-san, umm, you don't have to do those, if you could come back please? I'd like to talk to you."

I didn't think twice of it, we always talked and I wasn't too confident in my ability to wash dishes by hand. Besides this last incident, our communication was excellent for two people who weren't even together. Turning the water off and setting the dishes to soak, I returned to my place across the table from him. "Sure," I replied, nodding for him to start.

Watching him, I found that he was extremely fidgety, more than earlier as he was tapping his foot lightly on the floor and drumming his fingers against the table top. The other hand propping his head and turning it so he was looking out the window next to the table.

It was quite a while I waited before he finally cleared his throat and said, "Usami-san, there's something-" but quickly paused to rephrase his words, taking a moment to think over what he was going to say. "I was... wondering, since we've, well no... because we've been meeting each other so often... I've begun to think-" and something rare happened, the dusted blush that normally graced his features was now a full on painted flush of pink.

Taking another moment, he covered his eyes before speaking again, "I was wondering if its safe to say... that you... like me?" At the moment, I was attempting to take a casual drink of the last of my cooling tea but half choked. Somehow, I really wasn't expecting that kind of question. How did he know if I'd only realized myself last night? I was still spluttering and coughing like a fool, praying that this wasn't going to be the last time we get to see each other, when he continued, "Oh! But don't worry! The feelings are mutual!" he filled in, the flush growing slightly brighter as it seeped in what he'd just said. He remained silent with his head down, waiting for a reply.

I was still having a mini panic attack, '_He __**likes**__ me? Back? He knows I like him?' _I honestly had no idea what to do with myself. This wasn't just awkward, it was sudden. I hadn't had time to think about the possibility of actually _dating_ Todou-kun. Had he? Had he already thought over what it meant to be officially in a relationship? What would entail in our affinity? How long had he been thinking over the possibilities and dreams that could be pursued? I wanted to think some more, but seeing the worried expression on the boy's face softened my heart. Attempting to get rid of the tense and awkward atmosphere, I replied, "Todou-kun, I honestly have no idea what to tell you."

Luckily, my words helped and while he tried to pout, but laughed and said with a flushed face, "Well, w-was I right?"

After a light chuckle myself, I sighed and replied, "...To be honest, I only realized I liked you more than a friend last night." _'Shit, that probably really didn't come out right.'_

"Uwah! Really?"

"... yeah." I tested. _'At least he doesn't sound too offended.'_

The blush that had only now managed to die down was back again and stronger that before. "Craaap~" he complained, "I've liked you since the first time we went to the movies."

_'Boy, isn't he just full of surprises today?' _The first time we went to the movies was three months ago. How did I not realize? Sighing again, I buried my face in my hands. "Todou-kun I-"

"But that's okay! I have no problem with this kind of thing! I've known about Misaki and Usagi-san's relationship ever since we all went to Fukuoka for an autograph session, and Misaki's my very best friend right now. I really don't mind it. You're so smart and kind and generous and I can't help but feel like I want to be with you... forev- for a really long time."

Unsurprisingly, that comment didn't deter me in the slightest. Todou-kun and I have been meeting up for about five months now, he was a great distraction from Takahashi-kun and by now I had no more feelings for my brother's brunette lover.

"And although, I'm saying that I... like you, too - a lot, I don't have the slightest idea what I'm supposed to do now. I'm really confused as to what exactly it means to be in love with you. Just that I have these feelings for you, and I'd be really happy if you could accept and return them in your own way.

"Judging by the way Misaki acts around Usagi-san, I should be denying myself any evidence that I like you, but that doesn't seem quite right. I want to know that we- that we could be together. Whenever someone mentions your name I want to know that... you're mine and... that I'm yours.

"I've only felt something like this once, but it really shouldn't count because I was only in 7th grade then. It was with a girl and we did go farther than I'm proud of, but its nothing compared to what I'm feeling now! with you..."

"Todou-kun, its fine." I replied, not knowing how to respond to such a confession. Yes, it was true, I felt the same way, but how would I express it? Should we go out on a date right now? Maybe rent a hotel room and consummate our relationship tonight? Perhaps we should call our friends and family and inform them of the pact we'd made just moments ago?

The youth was still seated in his chair, head down and waiting for a reply. One which Haruhiko still hadn't formed the words for yet. He felt like stalling would be inappropriate and avoiding the situation would be rude, so betting on his speech skills, he decided to wing it. "Todou-kun, I- I do like you as well, very much so and because I do, I can and will wait until you're comfortable to do anything. I won't force you to do something you don't want to, so concerning that, don't worry. Don't feel as if you're not giving enough because I fully understand how you feel. No matter what, I want only what is best for you, so if you're okay with being in a relationship with me, I'll be more than happy to treat you with only the best."

The last syllable hung in the air life an awkward piece of cobweb floating around. I shifted in my seat with an ungainly gaucheness that even Akihiko would scoff at, but there was nothing to do, nothing to say. Maybe I pronounced something wrong and he didn't understand what I'd meant. My mind was at war with itself and all I could do was sit and wait for the final blow.

However, the combat was interrupted by a quiet fit of giggles and looking up, I saw Todou smiling with a few tears in his eyes. And although I was befuddled out of my mind, I kept quiet and eagerly awaited his response.

"This was either gonna be _really_ bad or _really _good," he looked up then, and his face was a picture of joy regardless of the tears steadily streaming down his face. "I'm so happy it turned out for the better."

I could feel a weight I had not previously noticed being lifted off my chest and I sighed in relief, offering a grin back to Todou. He stood, walked to the kitchen and began doing the dishes himself.

I felt the urge to give him a hug, a kiss to the cheek, _something._ It felt kind of odd just sitting there. I sifted through my thoughts for a reasonable excuse and decided that I was still thirsty, so I'd need to go to the kitchen for another cup of tea.

After pouring myself some, I turned around and leaned against the counter as quietly as possible. Across from me, Todou remained focused and was scrubbing the dishes assiduously. I began to think he didn't notice I was there, while at the same time I felt a growing urge to give him a hug. Ever so carefully, I set my cup to the side and approached quietly.

I was mere inches away before my mind started arguing with itself. _'I can either scare him or give him a hug... but then again he might get scared from my hug... so I should just-'_

Before I had the chance to register what was happening, Todou-kun had spun around and was crashing his lips into my own. To say the least I was surprised but extremely happy nonetheless. I couldn't enjoy it for long, however, because just as my hands found purchase at his waist, he pulled away only to begin apologising.

"I'm! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright," I chuckled, "Really its okay. I just wanted to give you a hug, but a kiss is good too." A heated flush was permeating throughout his cheeks and he looked away.

The night slipped into something more comfortable and as I got ready to leave, Todou and I brainstormed where we should have our next get together. Deciding on bowling this upcomming Saturday, there wasn't much more to say or do. Todou was thoroughly embarrassed over his earlier outburst, but to my surprise, still managed a parting kiss to the cheek.

* * *

**That poem though... Okay so you might be like whaaa? Old geezer toes? Well what I took from that poem, is that Haruhiko could look back on this memory someday and be happy with what turned out. Even if things will or won't work out, in the end, on that night, in that moment, he was genuinely happy. Not saying he wasn't happy being with Todou-kun any other time, but now they're both connected together in this shared happiness.**

**If you didn't catch my hint... I did want to make it known that Todou-kun did do it once with a girl when he was younger. Wondering if that confession stuff was good? Let me know please! :)**

**Y tambien, si algunos de ustedes hablan espanol, me puedan dejar una revista en espanol! Yo soy Dominicana y te puedo entender. So si es dificil para usted escribir en ingles, deja me una revista en espanol. Te lo agradesco mucho!**


	9. Ch 8 Hinges

**Ch. 8 Hinges**

**Todou-kun POV at first then Haru's.**

**Forgive me lieblings, I did not have internet connection this weekend and could not update for you beauts. **

**Let me reiterate for those who might have not done so yet. I messed up and published chapter 6 before chapter 5. I highly recommend that you go back and read chapter 5 till now if you're confused about anything. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Warnings**

**+It isn't too bad to me, but some people might have different feelings about the situation being described towards the end. Its not beautiful action between our couple. Its just something Todou's gonna see on the job. Again, some of you might not care, others might be appalled while others might freak out over it. I don't know, just warning ya'll.**

* * *

**Hinges**

**If we had hinges on our heads  
****There wouldn't be no sin,  
****'Cause we could take the bad stuff out  
****And leave the good stuff in.**

**~Shel Silverstein**

* * *

Nothing's really changed. The only thing that's different from before is the parting kiss to the forehead or cheek, but its been three weeks and nothing new has come up.

Well at least not really, because now, every accidental touch, any flirty comment or close proximity has us both flustered and embarrassed. I can see it in his eyes, how much he loves me. And in the way he acts, how much he cares for me. I try to express my own feelings the best that I can, but nothing's really changed.

I don't think we've become more of a couple, but neither have we become less of one. We're stuck at this intersection and it's probably my fault we haven't been able to make any progress. I know there's _something _I can do, but I have no idea where to start thinking.

Maybe we should try meeting up more? I pull out my phone and send a brief text asking if I can come over and that I'll rent a movie I wanted to see, including whether he wanted to see any certain ones himself.

So far we only get together three or four times a week at most. Maybe I could try... spending the night tonight? But that might lead him on and I don't think I'm ready to have- to do it with him yet. We've only kissed once and I-

Okay, just scratch that thought, we're gonna just watch a movie.

We _should_ get together maybe a little more though. But as of late there's been a string of connected break ins and besides my normal shift hours, I shouldn't take too much time off of work. Plus Haruhiko's job at the neighborhood thing is coming to a close and while it sounds like he's done, he explained that the tough part has only just now started. Last minute odds and ends that the workers don't understand have to be explained by him so he's spent most of his days at the site.

Is being a couple supposed to be this hard? Glancing over to Rikki-san, who was finishing up his burger, I pondered on weather or not it would be smart to ask him what his wife and he did when they dated. Not that I wanted to end up being Haruhiko-san's wife... just tha-

"273Delta to available officers near XXX."

"Woah, something new?" Rikki-san mumbled through the food in his mouth. After tossing the rest of the food in a trashcan, we listened in for the location and found that we were nearby. Childishly, Rikki-san rubbed his hands together, started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot, "Finally some action."

Shaking my head, I picked up the radio and replied, "This is 413, that's a 10-4 en route."

The dispatch continued giving details, and I had to raise be eyebrows - it sounded more serious than normal. It was a domestic dispute and multiple calls had been made from both annoyed and concerned neighbors.

It didn't take much time at all to arrive and what awaited us was devastating. There were three children sitting on the lawn all of them bawling their eyes out, one had a busted lip and the other two were covered in bruises. I requested for an ambulance and luckily another officer arrived, he took care of the children as I followed Rikki-san up the steps into the home. The door was left open and I could hear screaming and yelling coming from inside.

Carefully, we crossed the living room avoiding the piles of rubbish lying around. We cleared the surrounding rooms quickly before heading to the source of the yelling. Upon entering the room, we found a man beating a woman senselessly with a gun. Rikki-san and I instinctively ducked for cover, the man was obviously drunk as the smell of alcohol wafted through the air and the rubbish in the living room was primarily made up of empty beer cans. I quickly requested for backup again, raising the level of importance as there was now a firearm added to the equation.

While staring at each other, we wordlessly created a plan of action to subdue the offender and get the woman to safety. However just before we began we heard, "YOU FUCKING BITCH, I'LL BLOW US ALL TO HELL!"

I carefully peeped in just in time to see the man press a button and quickly evaluated the contraption to which it was connected. I found that he'd just set off the timer for a bomb to detonate in two minutes. Rikki-san saw this as well and without hesitation, shot the armed man on the wrist to disarm him, stormed in with me close behind, and cuffed the bleeding assailant who was silenced from shock. I quickly pulled the woman to her feet and we ran out as fast as we possibly could.

When we crossed the hazardous living room, Rikki-san and I began shouting to the other officer to get out of the way. Flying down the porch steps we yelled there was a bomb and demanded the officer to run the kids behind a car, just as more squad cars arrived I could feel the force of the explosion knock me, along with the battered woman, off my feet. I tried to ease the fall for the already hurt woman with my body, but stumbled too much to get proper angle, as I impacted with the ground, I felt a sharp pain run through my head and to my horror, everything went black.

* * *

**Ha, so that police code stuff is for America as far as I know... which isn't a lot...I didn't try looking up that jazz in japanese cause when i tried to see if the officers were allowed to take their weapons home... all i found was a wiki page on Japanese Law Enforcment and that didn't get me anywhere. =_= and also sorry if it sounded unofficial and lame cause I have no clue what exactly they say when all that stuff happens so I just tried to make it sound as cool as possible.**

**I wonder if I should open up reviews for people who want to see something particular happen? Maybe I could come up with a drabble thingy for this pairing... like .5's or something... how about we give it a try, maybe request me something and i'll see if maybe it'll work... ne? I know I'd love to hear your ideas.:)**

**Sorry for that cliff hanger! See you next weeeeeeek! (*3*)**


	10. Ch 9 Falling Down

**Ch. 9 Falling Up**

**Hellllooooo! So the last chapter, this one**** and the next were all supposed to be one chapter but PSHHH, that didn't turn out... aaand this one's the last one i have typed up as of now so i'll be working hard to type up to ch. 15 up this week.**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Falling Up**

**I tripped on my shoelace**  
**And I fell up—**  
**Up to the roof tops,**  
**Up over the town,**  
**Up past the tree tops,**  
**Up over the mountains,**  
**Up where the colors**  
**Blend into the sounds.**  
**But it got me so dizzy**  
**When I looked around,**  
**I got sick to my stomach**  
**And I threw down**.

**~Shel Silverstein**

* * *

Every so often, I could hear a far away moan or a groan or a sniffle or a huff, it would sound exasperated or worried and I could most likely tell why. I 'd been under this odd veil of black for sometime now, I couldn't tell if it had been just hours or possibly days, but some time had passed since the explosion until now and I was beginning to panic.

Haruhiko might get worried, we were supposed to meet up tonight, or last night or... the other night and neither of us has ever dropped out on each other. The shroud of black only started to get heavier as guilt poured its weight on me; I shouldn't be so worried, but I couldn't help myself. Would I ever get out of here? Surely, I would - the hit to my head shouldn't have been _that _bad. This was hopefully a light concussion that caused me to pass out, it probably hadn't been too long, it's probably because I haven't seen the day shift into night in so long that I feel so out of sorts.

After a few more moments of pondering, I decided the best course of action would be to regain my bodily functions and movements, perhaps if I twitched my finger enough, the grieving voice would be relieved to know I was still alive.

Sadly this proved to be extremely difficult, I first had to find where my hand even was. At the moment I felt all over the place and it took me a while to pinpoint its place. When I did, I had to demand my brain to begin taking instructions from me again, for some reason it wouldn't even acknowledge that I was speaking to it. It paid me no mind until I felt like I'd physically taken its place. It was taxing and by the time I felt like I'd taken over, I felt ready to take another nap under the darkness of the veil.

Just as I started to feel comfortable, the whispering voices seemed closer than before. Although they were quite a distance away, I could make out my name being said every so often. By two different voices, one who was obviously my doctor by the way he treated me solely as a patient but the other voice; it held attachment.

It couldn't possibly be my father, ever since I became a police officer he basically disowned me. Maybe it was my sergeant to find out how long I'd be out; or it might be Rikki-san, he always worries too much about me. I kept avoiding the possibility of it being Haruhiko-san being the one here with me. How would he know I was even here?

He wouldn't.

Instead, he'd probably be really upset with me for not contacting him in so long.

My heart clenched at the idea of Haruhiko-san's angered face looking down at me and so, to rid myself of the thoughts, I turned over and looked for the cloak of ebony to rot under for my terrible actions.

What surprised me was very startling, I could hear and feel the pop of bones, clear as day, as I shifted over to my side. There was a dizzying whoosh of movement as pain shot through my neck and I whined loudly. Then after my eyes shot open from shock, they were quickly shut after the bright light sent pain straight to be brain. But before I closed them, a shadow too familiar for comfort stood over me.

"...Todou-kun?"

_'Haruhiko-san? What's he doing here?!'_ I moaned out a few mumbled words of surprise, but I doubt he caught them.

"Todou-kun, wha- are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Yeah, that was definitely Haruhiko-san. With furrowed brows due to the intense light coming from the other side of my lids, I found my voice and croaked, "Usami-san?" _'Ouch that hurts,' _I thought, wincing from the sting of my dry throat.

Either Haruhiko-san could read minds or the doctor was present to realize I needed water. I could feel a plastic straw press lightly against my chapped lips and out of instinct drank from it quickly; completely disregarding the other two people's reprimands to not drink so quickly, until the straw was pulled away all together.

Slowly opening my eyes to get used to the brightness, I found Haruhiko's eyes staring back at me and we stayed like that for a second before he leaned over to hug me lightly. His face was buried in my hair and I heard his voice crack as he sighed out my name. My headache was still present, but more bearable now as I was getting used to the atmosphere. This was definitely a nice hospital. I've never been hurt on the job, so I wasn't sure weather or not this was special treatment to wounded officers or something.

After my speculation of the room, I turned towards Haruhiko-san who was still holding me, his head perched on my shoulder. I hadn't realized yet, but my hands were on his back, smoothing over the clean fabric of his usual attire - a suit, however the blazer was nowhere to be seen. Odd.

Some time passed until he pulled back, planting a kiss to my forehead and separating our bodies, leaving only the link of his palm over the side of my face, thumb caressing my cheek lovingly. There's a faint smile on his face and I offer my own back.

Confusion took over the moment and I asked, "How did you know I was here?"

Sighing, he removed his hand from my face and took both of my hands into his, taking a moment to look at them, then continuing to intertwine our fingers and standing upright. He seemed like he was going to speak until a doctor basically appeared from out of thin air. His hands gracefully emerging from pockets and pulling out a tiny flashlight to examine my eyes, then continuing to take my pulse and blood pressure. It was odd, the touch was gentle and feather light and I feared that I might be simply dreaming. Why wasn't Haruhiko-san saying anything? And why was this doctor faintly smiling as he went through the procedure?

Everything around was starting to get a little too bright and overwhelming.

Once he was finished, he walked over to the foot of the bed, hardly making a sound, picked up a clipboard and scribbled a few things before promenading over to Haruhiko-san and whispering into his ear. They spoke quietly, Haruhiko sounding deeply thankful and promising something that didn't reach my ears. The interaction further confused me, as Haruhiko-san's attitude towards strangers was nothing more and nothing less than stoic, and I itched to remove my hands from Haruhiko's grasp to pinch myself and check if this was reality.

They wrapped up not too soon after and as the doctor left, he turned and said, "You will have permission to leave tomorrow, however you'll be on leave from work for the rest of the week. I hope you recovery is quick, Todou-kun." his voice was a deep, yet light and happy, carefree.

Turning back to face each other, Haruhiko squeezed my hands and sighed, "I'm so glad you're all right."

"Um, yeah. About that, how did you know I was here?"

"That was my cousin, Hanayasuhiko, he works here and let me stay despite the visitor hours rules."

"Okay, but how did you know I was _here?_" I stated for the third time, getting frustrated. Not that I wasn't happy for him to be here, no not at all; quite the opposite, I was elated. However, his name wasn't yet in my emergency contacts, neither was Misaki's, but either way, Misaki doesn't know about our relationship...

There's a pause as I think through how possibly Haruhiko-san could've known, I doubt it was that cousin of his - we'd never met before.

Coughing, and turning his face to the side Haruhiko finally speaks up and says, "It was on the news."

* * *

**I mean i highly doubt this is much of a cliffhanger... you guise already know what happened..**

**maybe that was a cheap ending... siiiiggghh. Next chapter will be better! Rating could go upp... maybe idk. Take that as you will. I love it when I get a review! Makes my day! Plus I'm toats open for requests still. I'd love to hear them~!**

** anyways see ya next chappie.**

**Lots Of Love~**


	11. Ch 10 The Land Of The Happy

**Ch. 10 The Land Of The Happy**

******Thank you for reading~**

* * *

**The Land Of The Happy**

**Have you been to The Land of Happy,  
Where everyone's happy all day,  
Where they joke and they sing  
Of the happiest things,  
And everything's jolly and gay?  
There's no one unhappy in Happy,  
There's laughter and smiles galore.  
I have been to The Land of Happy -  
What a bore!**

**~Shel Silverstein**

* * *

"Huh?" was all I could manage to breathe out.

Running a hand through his short hair, he laughed dryly before continuing. "A co-worker of mine called me just as I was getting home and urged me to turn on the tv. I told him I was busy but he insisted because there had been a... huge explosion really close to some apartments I did a few years back.

"I didn't even remember which ones they were, so I decided to turn it on and check it out. I found out that the explosion was in a house very close to the apartments I designed and once the house blew up, the surrounding buildings caught fire and more minor explosions ensued.

"The cause was a domestic dispute between a high alert citizen and his wife, there were officers at the scene who managed to save the adults and their three children and take them as far away as they could before the bomb went off." He paused for a moment, getting his thoughts in order but continued.

"Of course I was surprised, nothing like this had happened in a while, so I continued watching. There was a reporter right outside of the scene and then all I saw was you being boarded into the back of an ambulance to this hospital."

For some reason my emotions are getting the better of me and I feel a strange mess of them trying to force their way out, I manage to push them aside before asking another question. But as I open my mouth to speak, Rikki-san and my sergeant bustle in much too loudly, exclaiming their relief that I had finally awoken and that I had them worried, until they saw Haruhiko-san and got into formal mode. It shouldn't have really upset me, but both of them thought he was a stepfather or something until Haruhiko-san stated that we were friends, which wasn't a lie - but still. Thankfully they got down to business quickly and briefed me over the situation which got my mind off of silly things.

I had been unconscience for two days now, I came to learn and wouldn't be allowed back until next week if I was up for it. Haruhiko-san stays quiet during this time, checking his phone every now and again. The pair finally leave after half an hour when the doctor, Hanayasuhiko-sensei, comes in to check my medications. His movements still as light as ever.

"Bumped your head pretty badly back there, huh?" his voice chimed lightly. "How does it hurt?" he inquired walking up to check the bandages.

I was still confused, the way the guy moved seem so unnatural and now he was asking how my head hurt? _'What does that even mean?'_ I wanted to reply, but came up short with an answer. Yeah my head hurt but was that what he meant? Or does he not know I hit it on a rock...?

Once he was done, he stepped back, still awaiting an answer I had no words for. After another awkward moment, Haruhiko-san coughed lightly as if urging someone to say something.

The whimsical doctor stepped up and spoke first. "Do you feel dizzy? Or perhaps there's an uncomfortable pressure? Maybe you feel sharp pain like a cut? You must be experiencing some pain, what is it?" he asked.

_'Oh, ' _

"Ah. Yes, I have a headache." I replied, then felt around trying to see if I had any more pains. There wasn't anything as powerful as the head ache, but I could feel a dull pain coming from my left arm and reaching over to rub it, I was surprised to see a thick bandage on it.

Seeing the shock on my face, the doctor explained, "Oh, yes. I don't think I've told you your condition yet. You've suffered a very bad concussion, the rock you landed on had some sharp edges, but luckily your head wasn't cut. However the woman you saved, by the way everyone is fine - you were the only one to sustain any injuries - landed roughly on your arm and your arm in turn, landed in some rocks as well. There are some deep gashes, but you're all patched up and the scars should be gone given a few months and proper care. There is bruising on your hip and shoulder but besides that you're doing wonderful. You're headache is a good sign means no internal bleeding and all the organs are functioning correctly."

Once he finished, he checked the medications one last time before leaving with a smile.

The medicine was starting to kick in and my crazy emotions were starting to settle down, leaving a comfortable feeling of lethargy.

Haruhiko stands and comes to sit on the edge of the hospital bed watching me with a gaze I don't remember ever seeing before. After a while I feel an urge to break the silence with something, anything and before I know it, I find myself saying, "I'm sorry." and feel a faint blush peppering my cheeks.

His face contorts into confusion, complete with furrowed brows and scrunched nose, and he asks, "For what?"

"For the other day, I... asked you out and then got into this mess. I'm sorry."

Without another word being said, he leans down and hugs me, minding the arm. He sighs and replies, "Don't worry about it. That doesn't matter right now."

And that was left at that.

* * *

By the end of the week, I'm out and Haruhiko-san insists we go out immediately to celebrate. Of course he's already ready to go to whatever fancy place he has planned, but I wanted to take a decent shower and put some actual clothes on. I was currently in my uniform sans the collard shirt but nonetheless I was not going out in a white t shirt and work pants.

When we arrived, I was surprised to find my apartment cleaner than expected and Haruhiko explained he hired a cleaning service to clean it up a little so I wouldn't have to fuss around too much. I wanted to remind him he didn't need to bother with that, but I knew arguing would get us nowhere. Before retreating to my room, I prepared him a cup of tea and returned a movie I had borrowed before I forgot.

Once done, I took longer than normal to pick out an outfit, he'd said this was going to be _'even more special than anything before'_ but gave no other hints as to what it might be. If it was special, it had to be expensive which meant I needed to dress accordingly but the two suits I owned were in dire need of a dry clean and there was obviously no time for that. So instead, I begrudgingly chose a more casual formal outfit. A horizontally striped collared shirt with long sleeves to cover up the scars, a pair of gray jeans and some navy blue slip-ons. It looked nice, but was it appropriate? Maybe if I did my hair up... or something. I spent the next twenty minutes attempting to gel it up to look fashionable but it was all in vain. I gave up and washed it out the continued to blow dry it and just leave it like normal. With a grim look of failure on my face, I walked out, apologizing in advance for my unsophisticated-ness.

However when I looked up, I caught a look in Haruhiko-san's face that sent a hot blush to my cheeks. "What?" I tried sounding indifferent, but instead my voice betrayed me and it came out sounding more hurt that anything else.

_'I knew this wasn't gonna be good.' _Turning my face to the side, I sighed and turned right back around into my room. "I- I'll go change." But before I could make if far, Haruhiko-san grabbed my good arm and turned me around to give me that look again.

"No, you're fine, you look good. I like it. You don't have to change." he breathed, releasing my arm and stepping back a little.

I looked up with wide eyes, and studied his expression again. Even if he was rubbing his neck, he looked honest, and I blushed again before huffing out an unsure, "Okay,"

After grabbing a pair of sunglasses, I locked up the apartment and we walked out. In the elevator, I found him staring again and gave him a questioning look.

To which he replied with, "What did you do with your hair? It looks... different."

I couldn't help regarding him with an incredulous face, but then laughed when he looked back at me with a confused expression as well. Laughing I replied, "I didn't do anything, I was, but then just washed it out and blow dryed it. My hair always looks like this"

Haruhiko-san huffed in confusion and not understanding whatever it was I said, which made me chuckle a little more even after we stepped out of the elevator and out into the late summer heat.

_'On second thought, I'm kinda glad I didn't try to wear a suit.' _I think with a few more snickers. Haruhiko-san looks back to see what I might still be laughing about but finds nothing. Shaking my head I think about how, despite the warm weather, he still insists on wearing a full suit and tie. But then again, what's new?

* * *

**I couldn't find a good poem so I chose one that might fit Hanayasuhiko-sensei. I think he will be my OC he'll probs appear later as he's part of the Usami family buuuut~ he's a cool dude so its all good. I wish the last line said something different though, he's not boring! But i bet this chapter kinda was... mer**

**okay so not this next chapter but the one after that will finally have some good stuff! kk love you all~ reviews are nice. **


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